Bloody Elbow

Alistair Overeem is certainly no stranger to the public eye. The #1 contender to the UFC Heavyweight title recently wrapped up an extremely high profile 2011, with his departure from Strikeforce, his UFC debut and his continuing online series The Reem. Amidst all of this, he also parted ways with his longtime training camp at Golden Glory, and that relationship quickly turned sour.

So far, it's been mainly Golden Glory speaking publicly about this issue, but now Overeem has issued his own public statement through his lawyers. It's a bit of an odd statement, as it outlines why Overeem has not yet publicly commented, promises comments, but then doesn't really end up saying much, only that "You will hear from Alistair on many of these topics directly." Two key lines do stick out though.

First, here is one of his explanations for why he has remained silent:

Alistair believes that the split between himself and Golden Glory should be kept between the parties. Although he has been tempted to expose ongoing problems with Golden Glory's business, its poor relationship with some of its remaining fighters, and the deep betrayal he has experienced in recent years, he has chosen not to air the specifics of those facts.

This goes along with Overeem's initial announcement about the split where he cited "a breach of trust." Without knowing the specifics yet, it's clear that, in Overeem's view, there have been some serious issues in the way Golden Glory runs things.

Second, Overeem makes it clear that this issue is not going away anytime soon:

We can say that Alistair and his legal team are very confident in the legal positions he has taken or will take in the California and Nevada litigation. Alistair is looking forward to having a judge or jury determine the merits of his position in this litigation. Although overtures regarding resolution of the lawsuits have been made by Golden Glory, Alistair believes it is important to see this matter to conclusion, not just for himself, but for other Golden Glory fighters, the UFC and its fans.

So expect this to be settled in court, where a lot of dirty laundry could be aired. Between Golden Glory fighters struggling to be paid for K-1 fights, the Zuffa vs. Golden Glory skirmish last summer, and the camp's nebulous ties to the new K-1, there are a lot of questions about how things are really going inside the Golden Glory world at the moment. A court case could push a lot of that into the open.

This situation started last September with Overeem announcing the split. Golden Glory head Bas Boon immediately responded by calling Overeem's contract into question and already hinting at possible litigation. In November, those hints became a reality with Overeem filing suit against Golden Glory, and the camp readying a counter-suit.

It's an unfortunate and ugly end to a partnership that has brought Overeem's career to great heights.

Read Overeem's complete statement in the full article.

ALISTAIR OVEREEM CONFIDENT ABOUT LITIGATION WITH GOLDEN GLORY

This is Alistair Overeem's first formal public comment on his ongoing litigation with Golden Glory. He has avoided comment up to now for many reasons. First, Alistair believes that the split between himself and Golden Glory should be kept between the parties. Although he has been tempted to expose ongoing problems with Golden Glory's business, its poor relationship with some of its remaining fighters, and the deep betrayal he has experienced in recent years, he has chosen not to air the specifics of those facts. Second, Alistair was singularly focused on his fight with Brock Lesnar. Third, Alistair does not want to disrupt Golden Glory's ongoing business operations. Fourth, Alistair believes that commenting on the litigation lacks professionalism. Golden Glory continues to take action by press release, through public comment and in the litigation in an apparent attempt to derail Alistair's career. Now that Alistair has defeated Brock Lesnar, he feels compelled to speak up. You will hear from Alistair on many of these topics directly.

We can say that Alistair and his legal team are very confident in the legal positions he has taken or will take in the California and Nevada litigation. Alistair is looking forward to having a judge or jury determine the merits of his position in this litigation. Although overtures regarding resolution of the lawsuits have been made by Golden Glory, Alistair believes it is important to see this matter to conclusion, not just for himself, but for other Golden Glory fighters, the UFC and its fans.